One of Sylvester Stallone’s most iconic characters is set to return to the big screen, but he’ll look a bit different this time around. Production is currently under way on John Rambo, a prequel film that follows the titular character before the events of 1982’s First Blood. With that, the eventual war veteran will be played by Noah Centineo. Up until this point, it was unclear as to whether Stallone himself would be involved in the upcoming action flick. The veteran actor has since confirmed that, though, with a message. John Rambo, which is being directed by Jalmari Helander, reportedly began filming in Bangkok back in January. This week, Stallone shared a video on Instagram in which he acknowledged the impact that Rambo has had on his life and career. With that, he also confirmed that he’d officially boarded the prequel as an executive producer. Check out the video, in which “Sly” also flashes a copy of the screenplay:
It was probably only a matter of time before Stallone joined the production in some capacity, and it makes sense. After all, at this point, he’s played Rambo in a total of five films, with his latest portrayal being in 2019’s Last Blood. It’s easy to get the feeling that the character is also embedded in his DNA, not unlike Rocky Balboa. Stallone doubled down on his connection to John and affinity for the franchise in the caption shared on his IG post:
Rambo has been part of my life for a very long time. A character built on resilience, survival, and the scars of war. He’s meant a lot to me and to audiences around the world for decades. Now we’re going back to where his story begins. I’m excited to be executive producing [John Rambo], exploring the early chapter of the man before the legend.
Based on David Morrell’s 1972 novel of the same name, Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood follows Vietnam War veteran Rambo as he arrives in a small Washington-based town. John – who suffers from PTSD – eventually draws the ire of the local authorities, who eventually launch a manhunt for him. With that, Rambo uses his grisly combat tactics to take down those seeking to subdue him. A box office hit, the film remains one of the signature titles in Stallone’s filmography.
Long before the upcoming prequel was even greenlit, Stallone had apparently had ideas about what Rambo’s early life was like. While weighing in on Centineo’s casting, Stallone revealed that he imagined that prior to enlisting, John was a well-adjusted young man who got straight As and was captain of his school’s football team. Stallone also said he couldn’t speak to how Centineo would perform in the role but opined that the young man would have quite a “challenge” ahead of him.What’s particularly interesting is that Sylvester Stallone had a completely different idea in regard to an actor who could play Rambo after him. He previously revealed that he’d hand the reins to Ryan Gosling, who he met sometime ago. It was apparently during that meeting that Gosling revealed his lifelong love of the character, which Stallone found to be endearing. For his part, Noah Centineo also seems to have reverence for Rambo and, hopefully, that passion will shine through in his performance. I’m curious as to how John Rambo (for which a release date has yet to be announced) will turn out. But, at the very least, I’d say the cast and crew could benefit by having Stallone included in the creative process. While fans wait for updates on the prequel, they can stream First Blood for free on Tubi.
